


All You Wanted to Know About Sandworms (But Were Afraid to Ask)

by Hoodoo



Category: Beetlejuice (1988), Beetlejuice - All Media Types
Genre: Biology, Digital Art, Gen, Scribbled notes, Textbook, information dump, sandworms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 05:23:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21440920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoodoo/pseuds/Hoodoo
Summary: Sandworms are represented in every version of Beetlejuice, but what do we really know about them?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	All You Wanted to Know About Sandworms (But Were Afraid to Ask)

_from the pages of The Handbook for the Recently Deceased_

**Sandworms!**  
The scourge of Saturn, eaters of the dead foolish enough to cross their paths!  
Sandworms are native to the desert sands of Saturn, but other species can be found in other places too. Hydroworms on Neptune, Aborealworms slithering through the trees on Venus . . . they’re everywhere. However, Sandworms are the biggest and most vicious, and they’re our focus today. What’s their biology? Should they be so feared? Let’s find out!

1.) The young are born live. They come out hungry and squirming; they have to be quick to bury themselves because mama Sandworm is not above eating them as a snack. The little ones spend most of their youth in the upper layers of the sands of Saturn, eating whatever they can find (the bugs and tiny rodents that live in the desert, or each other).

2.) As they grow, they burrow deeper. This provides protection as well as makes them stronger, because tunnelling through packed substrate is more difficult than shifting sands. 

3.) Of note are the red eyespots and striped fangs of the false head. The true, primary head with its yellow eyes is smaller and protected by the secondary head while burrowing, or if a ‘worm needs to project a larger size, especially when it is young. As it matures, the primary head is shielded less frequently.

4.) Also of note is the dorsal fin. This is present at birth. It helps stablilze a Sandworm as it tunnels through loose sand, and luckily can provide an early warning that one is near, as it is visible before much, if any, other bodily part of the ‘worm is seen!

5.) Although rarely above ground, they can hunt by sight. However, most of their hunting is done through vibration; they can detect footfalls from a hundred yards away as they lie in wait for prey. 

6.) Only the strongest and most vicious reach adult size. Like some earthly reptiles, their full size is based on how much they get to eat and how long they live. The largest Sandworm recorded was close to ninety feet!

7.) Females tend not to breed until they are at least thirty feet long. Males can breed at a smaller size, but run the risk of being eaten before, during, or after mating if there is a marked size difference between the two of them. 

8.) Unlike some dimorphic species, Sandworm coloration is not based on gender. They all have the same distinct, vivid colors. Their stripes and bright colors warn off potential predators that they are poisonous if eaten. And as if their multiple fangs and size weren’t enough to concern someone, they are also venomous! If the ‘worm is large enough, a bite can inject both a neurotoxin and hemotoxin that will affect respiration and eventually paralyzation, as well as cause tissue damage, swelling, and immediate pain at the site. The hemotoxin component destroys red blood cells, and may aid in the Sandworm’s digestion of its prey.

9.) Like all dangerous animals, it is not recommended to keep them as a pet. Their aggressiveness, high levels of lethal venom, and their demanding feeding schedule make them difficult keepers. However, there are some kept in captivity in the Netherworld in zoological gardens for the entertainment and education of deceased children and the newly dead. Many of these are young wormlings; no facility keeps an adult above twenty feet.

10.) Some less reputable sideshows have adverts declaring they have “rare, live, adult thirty foot Sandworms!” but most of those are less deadly species painted in stripes to resemble a ‘worm. A fake can be determined by whether or not it has teal lips, as those are the most difficult area to paint.

11.) Cautionary stories of Sandworms biting or consuming them for not doing their chores or disobeying their elders are common threatening techniques told to demonic or ghostly children in the Netherworld. (It could be speculated that Lawerence Betelguese Shoggoth was a recipient of these frightening tales, hence, his not-unfounded hatred and fear of the creatures.)

In summary, as the alpha predator in its environment, the Sandworm demands respect. They are dangerous and aggressive, and it is best to stay out of their way. If you find yourself outside your haunting, make haste to the nearest door or you could become another tragic victim of a Sandworm attack!


End file.
